Creation of Guilt
by My Reality Is My Own
Summary: Heather won't let the town take Harry, and she's having everyone else that's survived the place help her. But something won't let them leave again. When the Creator dies, so does the creation. Slash/Het  SHx2x3x4x0xHCxDP
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Heather won't let the town take Harry, and she's having everyone else that's survived the place help her. But something won't let them leave again. When the Creator dies, so does the creation. Slash/Het[SHx2x3x4x0xHC]

WARNINGS: slash/het pairings, blood, gore, death, noncon

Pairings:

JamesxAlex  
>HenryxTravis<br>HeatherxMurphy  
>HarryxCybil<br>PyramidxJames - Onesided  
>PyramidxAlex - Onesided<br>WalterxHenry - Onesided

Endings I'm Going With;

SH: Good+

SH2: Leave

SH3: Best

SH4: Mother

SH0; Good

SH:HC: Sacrifice

~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~

Heather knew it wasn't fair of her do to this.

Ever since she had gotten back with Douglas, she began having nightmares. That was to be expected, she's seen some horrible, disturbing things, but this was different. It was her Dad. He kept calling for her, asking for help, mentioning names that she didn't know that could help her...

Her Dad could be saved...He could come back. But she needed help.

She had Douglas look up the names she had been given, and she was surprised to see that each one seemed to have visited Silent Hill...she wondered if they had seen the side of the town she had then, she didn't think her Dad would mention them otherwise...

James Sunderland, who lived in Brahms. Henry Townsend, who lived in a mental ward in Ashfield. Travis Grady, who drove his truck always in the Silent Hill area (his name sent an odd cord through her, but she couldn't remember why). And Alex Shepard, who was going to college in her own town of Paleville.

She'd need Douglas to help her get Henry out of the Ward...And everyone else, she'd need some kind of dirt on them. She knew it wasn't fair, they had survived their own personal Hell, but she needed them. She couldn't let that town take her Dad, not when he had managed to get through it.

The town wouldn't win.

~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~

James thought it was ironic that he called the Police Station every day, though somehow no one ever discovered what horrible things he had done. He knew the man behind the desk by name now (young Jake Lawrence, forced into a desk job from a bullet in his lower back), and he knew exactly what he'd hear every time he called.

"I'm sorry, James..." Jake muttered, his tone bleaker each day. "There's still no sign of your daughter."

Laura...Laura had disappeared. They moved to Brahms together, she had started school and he helped her through her doctor visits she had every other week. They were learning how to live with one another, they were learning how to be happy. She had accidentally called him 'Dad' once and ever since...

Ever since...She'd be the one that woke him up when the nightmares got too bad. She'd be the one that made breakfast when he locked the bathroom door late at night so there weren't any windows the monsters could crawl through. She'd be the one that took the handgun from his shaking hands. She'd be the one that made him lunch for when he went to work as a mechanic. She had became his world in only six months, and he loved her like his very own...

"Thanks...I'll, uh, try not to call tomorrow..." It was an empty promise but he just hung up the phone and slumped against the table.

He knew Laura hadn't run away like he was told...she wouldn't do that to him, not after the bumps and roller coaster of emotions they'd been through in the past three years since leaving Silent Hill. A part of her still hated him for killing Mary, but she'd let it go for the most part and they moved on...she knew they needed each other.

But he had a horrible feeling...he tried not to let his mind wonder, since it would go right down the path he couldn't handle right now, so he kept himself busy with work, saving up money for when Laura got home, he could throw her a big welcome home party.

A knock on his door brought him out of his musings. His neighbors mostly kept to himself, having their own kids to deal with, so he thought it wouldn't be them. And even though he told himself not to, he got his hopes up of seeing Laura on his doorstep, asking why he wasn't at work today.

"Mr. Sunderland?"

The man there was his height, in a dark brown hat and matching trench boat. He had greying hair and beard, age seemingly catching up with him. Still, one look at him and James stiffened. The man had a feeling of a cop.

"Are...are you here about my daughter?" His voice broke and he tightly gripped the doorknob to keep himself steady.

The man eyed him a moment. "My name is Douglas Cartland, I'm a Detective. I've come to talk to you about your recent trip to Silent Hill."

James felt his heart stop. "...What about it?"

"May I come in?" The Detective asked kindly, noticing that some of the neighbors were staring at them through their screen doors. "So we can talk in private."

James allowed him in, shutting the door gently behind them. He led the man to his living room, realizing then that the house was beginning to get a small layer of dust...usually Laura threw the duster at him when she got home from school.

"Mr. Sunderland," Detective Cartland sat down on the small armchair across from James, looking straight into the man's green eyes. "I know...what happened in Silent Hill."

Despite the cold chill that crept down his spine, James just raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"That place becomes a personal hell for whoever goes there." James froze. "You were only the second person that had encountered such a thing, but not the last. My...client, Heather Mason, has sent me to convince you to go back with her in search of her Father."

"What makes you think I'd go back?" the blond muttered, trying desperately not to think of the monsters or the smell of blood and decay. "I barely survived the first time, and I've made myself a life here...This is the closest I've managed to force myself to that place."

Douglas tapped a finger on his coffee table, running his words over in his head. "Heather has a tie with that place...I can't explain it, I barely understand myself, but she came to you because you have something to lose in all this."

James stood up before he could catch himself. "Laura? You think Laura is there?"

He nodded. "You and Heather have been there before, you know how to survive the town. You can both look for the people you're missing, and you can help each other. You're not the only person she's asking for help from."

The answer was disgustingly easy. James just went into his room, pulling out a trunk from under his bed and ignoring the Detective behind him. He didn't care that the man stared at him as he began pulling out weapons and brown-colored Health Drinks and a hooked pipe. He paused at the necklace that had twin gold rings, not sure if he should bring them but forced it over his head anyway.

"Alright...when does she want to meet?"

~~~Line Breaker~~~~~

Heather didn't bother apologizing to the people she shoved out of the way, finally catching sight of the person she was looking for. The young man was tall and lean, wearing a black shirt and jeans and his traditional dog-tags that he'd became known for.

"Alex! Hey, Shepard, wait a minute!"

He paused, looking back and raising an eyebrow at her when she finally caught up with him. He was a lot cuter than she thought, with dark brown hair and bright brown eyes. He definitely looked the part of a soldier.

"Do I know you?" he asked, looking amused, the jerk.

"No. I'm Heather Mason, I have a favor to ask you..." She motioned for him to walk with her, simply into the empty courtyard of the college. "I'm going to be blunt here."

Alex put his hands on his hips. "I'm not going out with you, if that's what you were going to ask."

She rolled her eyes. "No, it's not that. I need you to come to Silent Hill with me."

The change was immediate. His eyes got darker and he sneered at her, tensing up and ready to fight her. Heather raised her hands in defense, knowing that she couldn't blame him. "You want me to _what_?"

"The Order killed my Dad..." Heather explained. "And I've been there before. But I know I can get him back, Silent Hill isn't like the rest of the world, like our world! If you could help me, then maybe I can find him and we can stop these cult assholes from hurting anyone else."

He reached up and took hold of his tags, not looking at her. "...Why me? How the hell do you even know about all this?"

"You've lost a lot because of them..." Heather muttered. "We can relate a bit. I was the one who was supposed to give birth to their God." He made a face, causing her to smile. "It's not just us though...There are other people that have survived that place, and I'm getting their help too."

"Basically," He relaxed a bit, losing that dark look in his eyes. "You want me to get revenge so I can help you? Kinda sneaky..."

She shrugged. "I'm doing what I can..."

Alex still didn't look at her, seemingly lost in thought. "When do you want us all to meet there? I'm not promising anything, I've finally got my life back on track here, but...I'll think it all over..."

"Thanks..." Heather smiled at him. "This Friday, at noon...I don't want to go in at night."

"You didn't answer about how you know this..."

She hesitated, not sure what to tell him. "My Dad...he told me. He said that you lost your entire family to the Order, and that you managed to life here now...It was in a dream, and that's how I know he can be saved..."

"You're going off a dream? Whatever, I've heard of dumber reasons..." He nodded to himself and walked off. She watched him go, hating that she had to remind these people of the nightmares they went through...she'd hate anyone for making her do it, but...it needed to be done...

Right?

~~~Line Breaker~~~~

"Henry," Said man looked up from his book, face blank as the warden slipped a letter into his room. "You got mail from a Detective. He's apparently looking into your case..."

The brunette opened the letter, ignoring the man as he left him alone. The letter was definitely for him, and the handwriting was very...short. He blinked and opened it fully.

_'Dear Mr. Henry Townsend,_

_ 'I am Detective Douglas Cartland. I am currently working for a client that is going into Silent Hill to rescue her father, and has asked for your assistance. Her father was killed needlessly by a monster, and she knew that the revival of a loved one might interest you.  
>'You don't have to accept this offer...but she was hoping for any kind of help. She's also asking a few others, all of them managing to survive the town and the hell it entails. I really wish you will accept.<br>'I'll be along Friday morning to receive your answer, we'll leave after that._

_ 'Douglas Cartland'_

Henry swallowed hard, the letter crinkling in his hands as he remembered Eileen...how he couldn't save her. She was sacrificed for some stupid ritual, and it didn't change anything. She had just been another poor soul, caught up in Walter's fantasy.

This girl was the same as him; they couldn't protect the people closest to them when they were needed...but now there was a chance he could get her back...

He laid himself against the wall and thought. His hands were shaking and his heart wouldn't seem to slow down. He was so afraid to go back...He sat there, not moving up until late Thursday night, and then get readied his release papers, getting his belongings and waiting for the Detective outside.

He'd made his choice. Now he needed to live with it.

~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~~

Alex was embarrassed to be the first person there.

He waited for everyone else, leaning on the railing of the Overlook. He could see the barely glimpses of water through the trees, and next to him was a Rest stop. He'd never seen this part of Silent Hill before...

A car was the first sound he heard in over an hour. He looked up to see a tiny, older blue car that parked next to him. He expected to see Heather, but was surprised to see an older man. He was...Frowning, Alex looked away, feeling flustered. _'Dammit, Alex, you're about to enter Hell and your thinking about attractive men? You're not a High School girl!'_

"Did Heather lure you here too?" the man asked, making Alex jump. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you...Especially here..."

Alex grinned, shrugging. "It's fine...but yeah. We apparently go to College together and suddenly she approached me about this little trip she's got going."

"James Sunderland." He offered a hand, which Alex took without thinking.

"Alex Shepard."

He saw something cross James's face as he withdrew his hand. "Quite a grip you've got there...I'm guessing from that, the tags and the jacket you're in the Military?"

Feeling suddenly uncomfortable, the dark haired boy nodded. "Y-yeah, I was...Your jacket looks vaguely military as well. Just like the look or...?"

James ran a hand through his hair, smiling crookedly. "I was...very briefly. Since there wasn't a whole lot going on though, they discharged me when I found out my wife was sick."

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Alex cringed, mentally kicking himself. "Is she...?"

"She passed...three years ago." the blond got a far-away look in his eyes. "Anyway, I'm here to look for my daughter, Laura. She suddenly disappeared, and Heather said she might be here..."

They fell into a comfortable silence, standing there. Alex couldn't help but keep glancing at the other male, feeling that they could relate somehow. Still, he was little put off by the fact that James had a daughter...

Alex never thought himself as gay or straight or anything before. When no one in your hometown would look at you twice growing up, it made crushes hard so he took what he could get. Even Elle, his best friend, was a bit distant to him, even now. But James had a wife, a daughter...his chances didn't seem all that great.

"Why did you agree to all this?" James suddenly asked.

"My reasons aren't noble like yours." From the corner of his eye, Alex saw him flinch slightly and stored it away for later. "The cult in Silent Hill, the Order, killed my family...I'm coming to stop them from hurting anyone else."

James nodded, then looked him over. Alex felt himself stiffen, unusually self-conscious about his appearance. _'Knock it off, Alex! No flirting with the straight man with a wife and kid,'_

"Did you bring anything to protect yourself with?"

Alex felt his face get hot, pulling out the Ceremonial Knife from his waistband. "This...it saved my ass more times than I can count."

James eyed it, eyes hardening slightly as he thought. Then he walked back to his car and opened the trunk, motioning Alex over. Inside his trunk was a box of guns, knives, a two by four with a nail in it, and a lot of Health Drinks and Ampoules. The younger male raised an eyebrow at him.

"Left over from my last trip, I couldn't force myself to get rid of them." the blond muttered, already holding a strong looking steel pipe. "I have two handguns, if you want one."

Despite his internal protests, he blushed. "T-thanks...are you sure?"

"Go ahead."

James also took the shotgun, all the bullets and Health Drinks and Ampoules and placed them into a side bag. Feeling a bit useless, Alex offered to at least carry the bag since he had gotten a free gun.

The blond chuckled, a nice sound that Alex realized he wouldn't mind hearing more of. _'Fuck my life,'_ "We'll split it if we can find another bag, alright?"

Alex nodded, smiling as James went back to his trunk, rummaging around for his map. As he bent over, the dark haired boy caught sight of the twin rings around his neck and sighed. _'Figures. I have to get some kind of weird crush on the only one that was married...'_

~~~Line Breaker~~~~

Henry was a bit put off that it was a large semi that picked him up Friday morning.

The man driving introduced himself as Travis Grady. He would be driving him and Heather to Silent Hill to meet up with the other two. Heather was sitting in the back, pouring over a map and reloading a bunch of guns. She handed Henry a handgun and a flashlight, smiling him briefly before going back to work.

They stopped at an Overlook near Silent Hill and picked up Alex and James, who looked like they'd been friends already by how closely Alex shadowed him. Once they sat down and the truck began moving again, the three began to talk about random things, and Henry decided to hide up in the cab with Travis to get away.

"Quiet one, aren't ya?" Travis asked, not taking his eyes off the road.

Henry shrugged. "I don't feel like socializing just yet..."

It was at that moment that Henry knew he was going to like Travis; rather than continuing the conversation, he nodded and turned on the radio. Not loud enough to discourage him from talking but enough that they could drown out the remnants of the others conversation.

Henry sat there, letting the air conditioner wash over him as he leaned back into the seat, oddly calm despite being forced back into hell. He wondered what the others were talking about, how Travis had gotten dragged into this or if he even knew what was going on.

"We'll be entering Silent Hill in ten minutes." Travis yelled into the back.

Silence fell over them. Henry swallowed roughly, forcing himself not to grab the gun at his waist. He felt sick. All at once, he was forced to remember every cut, every gun shot, every second of running away and hoping and praying that he could get away. The smell of blood, feeling it all over him, and Eileen, poor Eileen, walked towards her death, controlled, maybe not fighting because she thought Henry would save her-

"Hey. Hey!"

Henry looked over at Travis, realizing that his hand was on his shoulder and that he was breathing hard. The truck driver eyed him, frowning and seemingly worried.

"You okay? Lost you for a moment there?"

The younger man nodded, looking away but not shrinking away from the hand on his shoulder. "Fine. Just...remembering."

Travis sighed, putting both hands back on the steering wheel. "Remembering can be dangerous."

They didn't say anything more as they pulled up to a sign. Realizing that this was it, Henry got out of the truck, frowning up at the sign that innocently read, 'Welcome to Silent Hill'.

"Ready?" Heather asked him as the group formed around.

Each of them nodded, gripping their weapons and all of them turning on their flashlights. Seeing that Henry was still a bit pale, Travis nudged him and smiled, somehow immediately making him feel better.

"Let's go."

~~~Line Breaker~~~~~

Hope this is a decent introduction chapter! :D Any thoughts would be appreciated~


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the feedback! :D And also, a big thanks to Pikana who's been pushing me to write by tempting me with videos of my favorite pairings! XD

Warnings poorly written building friendships and more hinted slash. :D

~~~Line Breaker~~~~~

"I've got a few questions before we head in."

Heather paused, looking back at James, who looked an odd mixture of uncomfortable that he had everyone's attention and determined at the same time. She nodded, knowing that it would have to happen sooner or later, and she was a bit surprised that they hadn't had this conversation already. Still, it surprised her that James would be the one to ask them.

James looked away, seemingly pondering how to word whatever he was going to ask. "How prepared...are we all going back?"

There was an uncomfortable silence. She noticed immediately though that Alex strayed a bit closer to James, reminding her vaguely of a puppy. She raised an eyebrow at the older man.

"What do you mean?"

"Last time I was here..." He hesitated, green eyes flashing. "I had to kill not just monsters...but also people. If that's what it comes to, can we really do that?"

Henry shifted, rubbing something on his upper chest that none of them could see through his shirt. "Yes."

"I'm not proud of it, but I had to kill a lot of Order members last time..." Alex muttered, shrugging. "It's going to be them or us, there's nothing really to consider-"

"It's different when you're alone though." James gently cut him off, sighing. "You can force yourself on, convince yourself that it's okay. But we're in a group of people that'll be watching what we do."

Travis nodded. "We're all also all fucked up in some way that we were called into Silent Hill in the first place."

Heather sighed, tapping her Pipe against her leg. "I understand where you're coming from, but we'll have to deal...we gotta get moving, and I don't want to enter this place at night."

"Where are we checking?" Alex asked. "Silent Hill's a big place, are we just gonna walk around and hope we find something, because that got really old the first time we all did it."

"We'll each pick a place." Henry offered.

Heather nodded. "That sounds like a good idea...We'll all pick one place to check, if there's still nothing, we'll do it again."

"Hospital." James said immediately, causing them all to shudder.

"...The Order Church..." Alex muttered darkly.

Travis and Henry shrugged, though the younger male offered, "I guess the Wish House...But I don't know where it is."

Heather sighed. "I guess...either the Amusement Park or the School..."

"The School's the closets one to us..." Alex had his map out already, looking at it grimly. "I've never been here before, I was mostly around the hospital and church..."

Travis nodded. "One more thing," He turned to Heather, a smirk on his face. "How old are ya?"

"Too young for you." she shot back, rolling her eyes when the trucker laughed. "I'm 19, thank you very much. And before you all start, I'm the youngest here, **and** the only girl, but I can still kick your asses."

"Yes, ma'am!" Alex saluted, grinning when she glared at him.

"We'll stay in this group unless absolutely necessary." She went on, kicking Alex in the shins when he wasn't looking. "It might be harder with us all grouped together, but strength in numbers and all that."

As they readied themselves and started down the road, Heather hesitated, causing them all to look at her. "Really though, thanks for this...I know it's not fair that I dragged you all into this, but..."

"We were going to have to come back anyway..." Henry replied. "We're here for our own reasons as well."

She nodded and led them down the abandoned highway road, all of them sticking close once the traditional fog began to roll in. Travis was brining up the back, handling a rather impressive looking rifle in his hands and carrying a large bag much like James's.

They came to Midwich Street, the place naturally deserted and devoid of any form of life. Alex and Henry looked around in an odd form of curiosity since they'd never seen this side of Silent Hill (or in Henry case, Silent Hill itself since he'd only explored the forest in the Walter Incident).

"Hasn't changed." Travis muttered, bumping shoulders gently with Henry as they walked. "Never fucking changes..."

"Do we all have our radios on?" James asked the group.

They all made noises of consent, with the exception of Henry. He paused and looked at them all oddly. "...Radio?"

They looked back at him with equally confused looks. Then they noticed that Henry didn't have a flashlight or a radio, making them all gape at him. How did he get through this horrible place without the essentials and lifeline?

"How did you survive without a radio or a flashlight?" Heather asked.

Henry shrugged. "I technically never entered Silent Hill itself...I was always on the outskirts, like the forest..."

The blond girl shuddered. "That's why you mentioned the Wish House..."

He nodded. Travis sighed and went through his bag, pulling out an extra flashlight and handing it to him, showing him how to attach it to his breast pocket.

"Are we really going to go to the school first?" Alex muttered as they walked, feeling disturbed at the lack of enemies. "I get the feeling that place is really going to suck."

"It does..." Heather and Travis both groaned, causing the dyed blond to glare at him as he grinned.

As they stood in front of the Elementary School, though, they all felt oddly at ease now. They were still vastly afraid of what they were going to fight, or what they would find (or in some cases, not find) but at least they knew that they relay on one another.

"Do we have any clues to go on, at all?" Travis asked as they began walking towards it.

"Nope."

"What're we looking for?" Henry asked quietly, examining the sign next to them that read, 'Midwich Elementary School'.

Heather frowned. "James, do you have a picture of your daughter?" As the blond man went into one of his jacket pockets, she turned back to the group. "We're looking for James's daughter, for one...the Order Cult, and there's supposed to be a book that I need..."

She briefly shared a look with Henry, who just stared back at her. She jumped slightly when James showed her the photo of his daughter, sharing it to everyone in their little group. Heather found herself smiling at the picture of the young girl.

"How old is she?" Travis asked, gently taking the picture from him.

James visibly swallowed hard. "Eleven...her name's Laura, she went missing and the police can't find any sign of her...I met her when I was here last."

"So you think she'd come back here for some reason?" Alex muttered, only giving the picture a brief look before looking away. He hated looking at kids.

The green-eyed man hesitated and nodded. "I hope that's the reason...unless someone brought her here..."

He pocketed the picture once they all looked at it, readying his pipe as Heather led them inside the school. Inside, it was murky and foggy still, the atmosphere moist and heavy. Everything looked like it was decaying around them, but still oddly preserved. A look at Heather's face revealed that this was probably normal.

"Dare we call for her?" Travis wondered, leaning over Heather's shoulder when she pulled out a map. "We haven't seen any monsters yet..."

Heather shook her head, staring at the map. It took a moment before the trucker noticed her hands were shaking. He glanced around to see the others exploring the entrance area, so he gently nudged her.

"Are you okay?"

She jumped, cursing at herself for letting the odd nostalgia get to her. Still, Travis was waitinf for an answer so she just nodded. "Y-yeah, fine...Just, this map was...was my Dad's."

"He went through Silent Hill?" He couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. It was odd, meeting a group of people that had survived the place as well, but a _family_?

"He killed God."

She could see that it meant something to him, the way he stiffened. A fuzzy memory weaved itself over her eyes, of a younger Travis's clean-shaven face over hers as he seemed to carry her out of flames. _'Travis...met Alessa all those years ago?'_

"Found another map, just in case." James's voice cut them from whatever memories they were reliving as he walked over and showed her said map, clean despite the obvious aging.

"I'll keep hold of it..." Alex offered, pulling out a red pen from his jacket. "I loved marking the maps."

Heather smiled. "You're such a kid, Alex."

He just stuck out his tongue, grinning when James handed him the unmarked map. "You're just jealous my map is prettier than yours."

"Ladies," Travis cut in. "We should get going. I'm surprised at how bright this place is, we should take advantage of it."

The only female took lead once again and brought them through the double doors, and into the first coridor. Ahead was more double doors, and if Alessa's memory served her right, there was a Courtyard beyond it. _'Apparently, I don't need Dad's map...'_ That didn't mean she'd give up on using it though.

"Laura likes to draw...and she's really good at English..." James muttered, leaning over Alex's shoulder to read the map. "So the music room and the classrooms we're going to need to check."

Heather nodded. "And the libraray...I doubt the school would have the book I need, but better to check and be wrong..."

"It looks like it'd be a lot easier to split up..." Henry commented. "Though the groups would be uneven...and we risk falling into a trap if this cult you mentioned is still around."

"I thought the whole reason for this little get-together was not to split up?" James muttered but didn't oppose the idea. He just wanted to find Laura quickly.

"But we don't want to waste daylight." Alex pointed out, frowning.

Travis glanced at Heather. "It's up to you, Ms. Leader."

She bit her lip, thinking. She hated the idea of separating, but a large group like theirs would attract more attention. Rolling her eyes, she nodded, motioning for them to decide on groups.

"I'm going to the right." James said immediately. "There's more classrooms, so there might be a sign of Laura."

"Me and Heather are looking for the same thing." Henry muttered. "I'll stay with her."

"I'll travel with them if Alex stays with you." Travis shrugged as he put a hand on Henry's shoulder. "I'll look after the kids. Then we got even amount of weapons in case anything attacks us."

Henry's eyes narrowed slightly but otherwise he didn't argue. James smiled, nodding. "Alright. Make sure they don't get into too much trouble."

"Hush up, old man!" Heather stomped away, dragging both of her new partners with her.

"...Not that old." the blond muttered, ignoring the way Alex chuckled and offered an arm in case he got tired. "Brat."

They checked the Infirmary before going into the next coridor, looking for more supplies. Inside, there were two Health Drinks and a notepad. The paper was so worn that they could only make out '-ason' as the signture.

"Hey, James," Alex began as they walked, getting annoyed that the first classroom door was jammed. "What made you come here the first time?"

James stopped walking, face pale. "I...I just..."

Immediately, Alex held up his hands, feeling horrible that he had gotten such a reaction. "You don't have to tell me...Actually, just forget it, I'm not ready to answer that either..."

"It's stupid..." James muttered, eyes lighting up briefly when the second classroom opened up. "Maybe I'll tell you someday..."

They entered the classroom, shinging their flashlights in case anything was waiting to jump them. Once it was deemed safe, James searched the front of the room while Alex headed to the back. He paused, seeing a piece of paper waiting on one of the desks.

"Hey, James." He called, picking it up and skimming through it. It was covered in blood stains, and he paused when he saw a familiar name in it. "Come look at this."

The older man took the offered paper, frowning.

_'To the bearer of the Red God,_

_ 'We welcome you back to Silent Hill. It has come to our attention that you thought you had escaped from your duties here but that has been fixed. And not a moment too soon, as we have gained a new guest here to be judged._

_ 'Laura is waiting for you in your special place, under the watchful eye of the Angel of God. If you want her back, you'll need to win over your new companions._

_ 'Eagerly awaiting.'_

James's hands shook. Next to him, Alex swallowed hard, wondering if he should say anything. Someone had taken Laura...apparently, to bait James into returning. Why? What connection did James have to this place?

"Red God..." The younger man jumped slightly, hearing the hate and fear in the other's voice. "'Bearer of the Red God'..."

"Who's the 'Red God'?" Alex asked, watching as he folded up the note and pocketed it.

The blond didn't reply at first, staring at nothing. Then he sighed, and motioned for them to keep going. "No one. He's dead."

~~ With Heather's Group ~~

"I can't believe these are all broken." Heather snarled, kicking a door that refused to open for them. "What a waste of a trip."

"James and Alex might be waiting for us in the Storage..." Travis gently reminded her, amused when she just kicked the door again.

Henry watched as the trucker pulled the girl away, continuing past the stairway and into the last coridor on this floor. He glanced down at the map, having taken it from Heather when she started kicking things. It was a rather scary sight.

"Ah, there they are." Travis said once his flashlight caught sight of Alex and James, both of them waiting outside the storage room. "Any luck."

They remained silent as the blond man pulled out a dirty note and handed it to him. Heather snatched it from his hands and read it, brow furrowing further at each line.

"The Angel of God..."

"I've heard of the Red God..." Henry mumbled, face blank when they all looked at him. "In Wish House, a few books mentioned him. That's all I know, though, he didn't have anything to do with my trip..."

Seeing that James wasn't going to say anything, Alex added. "James said he's dead, though..."

Heather frowned, handing the note back to James. "Don't worry too much, okay? The Angel isn't violent, he's a guardian. He's probably protecting her from the other monsters."

"Who is this so-called Angel?" Travis asked. "How do you know him?"

The dyed blond let out a rush of air, blowing back her bangs. "He's the caretaker of the cult's God, named Valtiel. I met him when I was here, sorta...he never attacked me, and whenever I got hurt too badly, he'd show up and ward off the other monsters until I healed...Like I said, he's not violent. He'll protect Laura until we can find her."

"Let's do a quick sweep of the upstairs." Alex said, putting a hand on James's shoulder. "Then we'll get the hell out of here."

They all agreed and went up the stairs, keeping their guard up as they explored. Every single door was jammed though, and they noticed that the light was slowly leaving them. Despite what their instincts said, they decided to go directly to the Library rather than check the rest of the school. There was an odd sense of dread among them now.

"Fucking jammed!" Heather slammed her hands on the door, hoping that maybe it'd buckle and open. "I hate this place!"

"Think we'd be able to knock it down?" Travis asked, looking between Alex and James.

James shrugged. "Never seemed to work any other time, but we were alone then..."

Seemingly ignoring them, Heather kept kicking the door, muttering curses under her breath about the town. Shaking his head, Travis went to pull her away when suddenly, the door opened.

Unable to stop herself, Heather went flying inside, letting out a cry as she crumpled on the floor. Immediately, they all ran in to see if she was alright. She just groaned, pushing herself up.

"That...has never worked before."

A pause, before out of nowhere, Henry gave an odd mixture of a laugh and a snort, causing them all to look at him in surprise. He stared back, face blank. It might've been the lighting, but they could've sworn his face was tinted pink.

"Well, now that my dignity has been sacrificed, let's take a look around, okay?" Heather muttered, though she was smiling.

They all did so, searching through the large bookcases and asking her if they had found anything useful. However, once Alex began listing off every single book on the shelves, she called for them to stop.

"It's a tome." She explained, sighing when Alex rolled his eyes. "It kinda looks like a bible, but it's entitled, 'Recalling the Powers of God' and I think it was colored a dark blue..."

"See, if you had told us that _before_..." Alex muttered, continuing his search through books.

James smiled next to him, chuckling. The dark haired boy smiled with him, proud that he had managed to make James feel better.

"I'm not seeing any blue books." Travis grumbled, getting annoyed at the cute little titles glaring back at him.

"Our best bet would be the church." Henry commented, having already looked through the books on his side.

"I was afraid of that..." Heather sighed, running a hand through her hair.

Henry nodded, leaning against a table as the rest of the group continued searching. "Wish House was apparently under the care of a different set of the cult...make me nervous about the rest of them, if that was only a tiny group."

"We got nothing." Alex said, dusting himself off.

Travis sighed. "What should we do? We could keep going, but we might need a safe place to sleep..."

"Safe?" James raised an eyebrow. "You want a safe place...in Silent Hill?"

"I'm going to jinx it, but it has been safe so far..." Heather pointed out, frowning. "No monsters, no noises from the radio...it's been totally empty."

Henry rubbed his forehead. "There's nothing really close to us, is there?"

"The only place I think we should head to is the Balkan Church." Heather pulled out the Silent Hill map itself, pointing to said building. "Let's head there, and if needed, we could have someone take watch while the others rest."

James frowned. "We need to head to the Lakeview Hotel as soon as possible, that's where they're keeping Laura."

"But if we're tired and get killed, then no one can save her." Travis said, patting him on the back. "Don't worry, James, we'll get her back."

He nodded, looking displeased. "Alright...then let's get out of here."

They all agreed and left the room, making their way to the entrance of the school. And again, there were no monsters or shadows blocking their path, making all of them uneasy. What was stopping them? Why?

What was powerful enough to keep the monsters at bay?

~~~~Line Breaker~~~~~

Thank you all for sticking by me with this! :D

And before anyone asks; this will have Murphy of Downpour in it, so there will be spoilers to his game eventually.

Also, I'll go into why the town seems to safe for them later! :3

MRIMO


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